Is there such a thing as Eurocentrism?

In a book on European cultural identity, to be precise in the American translation of a book written originally in French, I wrote some lines, which I will now quote. “No culture was ever so little centred on itself and so interested in the others as Europe. China called itself ‘the Middle Kingdom’ Europe never did. Eurocentrism is a misnomer. It is even the contrary of truth” (Brague 2002a: 133ff.). In a review of recent books on Europe, Gerard Delanty quoted some of those words and saw in them a “seductive argument” in which, however, “there is a philosophical sleight of hand”. As a consequence, “this problem is not adequately addressed” (Delanty 2003: 471–88, especially 486). I cannot see where the legerdemain resides, but I can agree on the sketchy character of this somewhat provocative thesis. The aim of what follows is to flesh it out.